UP CLOSE interviews some of Cheshire's most varied business leaders and owners and find out a little more about how they got to where they are today.

The rural and agricultural industry plays a huge role in Cheshire's economy, given that it is significantly rural and has always played a large role in the country's agricultural heritage, it is no surprise that as a sector, it is one of the biggest in the county.

And that certainly isn't a surprise to Andy Venables, managing director of Hillsgreen, based near Holmes Chapel, who knows a thing or two about the county's rural past and its future.

Hillsgreen has had a rather fascinating story so far. Since Andy started the company as a consultancy five years ago, it has grown very quickly. But it isn't simply unchecked growth, it has been the product of Andy's ambition, the efforts of his team and the knowledge of an industry that many marketing companies neglect. It's had its bumps along the way. Brexit, COVID-19 and Andy's cancer diagnosis, altered the company's course and provided a springboard for its future.

And now, it seems that ambition is bearing fruit as they aim to turn over £1 million next year and £3 million soon after that.

So, we sat down with Andy and discussed what exactly makes Hillsgreen so special and its story so far.

What inspired you to set up Hillsgreen?

I'd worked at a digital marketing agency in Manchester which grew very rapidly. When I started, we had four people, when I left, there were 32 of us. I enjoyed it, and it was a learning curve, and of course, we made a lot of mistakes and learnt a lot about growing a business, but I loved it.

I loved the fast pace and I'm a big people person and I really enjoy being around people, so when I came back into agriculture, working at the family dairy farm, I felt there was an opportunity to combine my two passions. But it wasn't straightforward because I had to decide whether I would keep it as a rural business consultancy or make it into an agency. So, what drove me was, I was a bit unhappy being on my own. I wanted to scale it, to get the people around me to help grow it and get the best out of me.

So, I spent two days working on the consultancy and three days farming but after two years, I think I'd just made myself unhappy and it couldn't work long-term. So, we decided to scale the farming business and employed people to help run it full-time and it meant I could throw myself into setting up the agency full-time.

And I think that's been a good thing because it has meant I can contribute to the family business by building Hillsgreen.

Andy at the family farm (Image - Nub News)

What was the catalyst for growth and has the success surprised you?

The biggest thing was employing employee number one. Getting that right because suddenly, it's not just you that you must worry about, it is others as well. The second part of it was the pandemic. Predominantly, all the clients we work with have an agricultural link, businesses selling into agriculture or farmers looking to diversify.

Typically, they are a little behind the curve when it comes to marketing themselves or technology. So, the pandemic forced a change in the sector. A lot of these companies spent big on events and traditional PR, and not so much on digital activities.

But because of the pandemic, they had to move into digital. So, we spoke to our clients and went out and spoke to the industry as a whole and treated it as a big opportunity for us and most importantly, our clients.

And then I think, the second thing was in around 2021, we had Hillsgreen, a few of us and it was building a bit of a name for itself and I knew that if we were really going to grow, we'd have to invest in some really experienced people and get the people I wanted in the business to help us, people who had been in the industry a long time.

It meant we lost money that year, but we gained that foundation. So, when I got diagnosed last year, it meant that those people stepped up and it really gave the business the opportunity to grow. So, it wasn't just one thing but several things that lead us to where we are.

You specialise in rural and agricultural sectors; do you think your background helps and is part of why companies want to work with you? Or is it just because you're a great marketing agency?

A combination of the two, I think. At the start, I was hustling, I was 'Hillsgreen Marketing Consultants', and I pitched myself as dedicated to the rural industry. And that was the message I was putting across.

But the thing with rural is, it does incorporate a lot of other industries. So as well as rural and farming, there is a much wider scope of companies that could use our experience and I did lean on my background on the farm where it was needed. As we've grown and matured, we've moved away from rural and focused more on agricultural industries around it.

I think that is because we can add value to these industries where others can't. So, going into a company and before we even talk marketing, we can talk about the industry in general, which helps companies understand our role and helps us develop their marketing plans.

So, it helps, for sure, but it doesn't define us. As we've grown, we've recruited people from similar backgrounds to me, but we've also recruited people without an agricultural background, and I think that keeps us fresh and incorporates new ideas and ways of thinking into the agency.

What is your proudest moment at the helm of Hillsgreen?

In a nutshell, the last 12 months. Not only have we survived me being out of the business for so long, almost six months to be exact, but we also grew considerably as well. And within that, we won two major awards (Hillsgreen won Best Small Agency at the Northern Digital Awards this year). I've been to these awards ceremonies, year after year and you don't even get a sniff, so to go to one with a niche marketing agency and win, was absolutely incredible.

But, for all of that to happen, was the team. An old MD I worked for used to say to me that my job was quite easy. I just needed to employ people better than me, and I've adopted that mantra. And I am incredibly proud of the team I've got around me and watching them progress and grow is easily the best thing and the proudest moment so far.

Andy and the team after winning at the Northern Digital Awards ( Image - Hillsgreen)

What are your main challenges going forward?

Our company lives and dies by its people. Attracting the right people and top talent is absolutely the hardest thing. Making sure that, when you're swimming in a big pool of talent you're standing out, offering all the benefits and because we're in a rural location, hybrid working is available and scaling the right way. It's tricky.

Given everything that has happened, do you worry about the future, or do you embrace the challenges?

Embrace it. After everything, you've got to embrace it. When I decided to throw the kitchen sink at the agency and see if it can work, we did a turnover of £750,000. We're projected to do £1.2 million this year and we're aiming for a £3 million turnover, in the next few years. That ambition and drive can only come from embracing the challenges.

I remember sitting in a room on my own and thinking, how am I going to hit £750,000 and we did it, so I'm still thinking that way.

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